Repurposing Payment Data Fields for Loyalty Transmission

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing point-of-sale systems require significant modifications to integrate coupons and merchant consumable data with mobile payment technologies, which is inefficient and costly.

Innovation Solution

Repurposing data fields in payment transaction messages to transmit merchant consumable data, such as coupons and loyalty information, using existing payment infrastructure, allowing mobile devices to insert this data into designated fields and enabling seamless integration without modifying the POS or contactless reader software.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If existing point-of-sale systems are modified to integrate coupons and merchant consumable data with mobile payment technologies, then functionality and versatility are improved, but device complexity and implementation cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovefunctionalityVSAvoidcomplexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by enabling existing payment message data fields to serve dual purposes: their original payment transaction function and an additional function for transmitting merchant consumable data such as coupons and loyalty information. This allows the same infrastructure to handle multiple types of data without requiring separate dedicated channels or significant system modifications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by replicating existing data field structures and communication protocols to transmit merchant consumable data. Instead of creating entirely new communication mechanisms, the system copies and adapts proven payment message formats, ensuring compatibility with existing point-of-sale systems while enabling new functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Ease of manufacture

If existing payment infrastructure is used to transmit merchant consumable data, then ease of manufacture and implementation are improved, but data transmission capability and information capacity are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveimplementationVSAvoiddata capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing merchant consumable data into discrete data fields that can be independently transmitted within existing payment message structures. This allows complex information to be broken down into manageable segments that fit within standard data field capacities, enabling comprehensive data transmission without overwhelming the existing infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes another dimension by employing unused or underutilized data fields within existing payment message protocols. Rather than expanding the horizontal capacity of single fields, the system vertically leverages multiple available fields across the message structure, effectively increasing total data capacity while maintaining compatibility with existing systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11580508B2Contactless message transmission

Publication Date: 2023.02.14 VISA INTERNATIONAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION

AI summary

A system and method uses one or more repurposed data fields in a payment transaction message to pass the merchant consumable data from a mobile device to the merchant system using an existing channel. The merchant consumable data relate to loyalty or rewards.